After-sun Skin Care

Summer is right around the corner, you can feel it in the air! Temperatures are getting higher, and we are starting to see more of the sun. During these hotter months of the year, protecting your skin is so important. However, it’s not just about lathering on sunscreen and moisturizing lotions. You want to make sure the products you’re using have safe ingredients, so you can feel confident that you’re protecting your skin. Some of my favorite after-sun products are from Ny’ala Skin Care, a locally made skin care line with clean ingredients.

Hydration Spray No. 1 is both hydrating and cooling, perfect for facial care after the beach. As for body, the Shimmer + Bronzing Body Oil has ylang ylang, shea butter, castor, and jojoba oil to help heal sun damaged skin. The shimmer in the body oil also helps to enhance your natural color. Both of these awesome products and more from Ny’ala are available at the South King St Down to Earth store. For some guidance on what products and ingredients are best for after-sun skin care, I’ve asked regular DTE guest teacher and owner of Ny’ala skin care, Dana Cutolo, for some help. Here’s what Dana had to say:

Summer is of course my favorite season, and even though I always slather on my Little Hands Sunblock, some days I completely forget and of course - I get sunburned! I always have my favorite burn remedies stocked in my house, because who wants to make remedies when they are burned and exhausted? Down To Earth always has my favorite herbs and containers in stock, making D.I.Y. recipes super easy. I always keep these few main ingredients on hand. It is incredible how effective gentle, natural and plant-based ingredients can be for simple health issues like minor sunburns. D.I.Y. recipes should be easy and sustainable, so if you don't have an ingredient on hand, I've listed ingredients you can use instead!

My favorite recipe is the Aloe Vera Sun Burn Spray - it's super easy to make and it contains all of my favorite ingredients! Lavender and peppermint both have anti-inflammatory and anti-septic qualities, and they are both cooling. Lavender is also calming to both your burn and your mind. Apple Cider Vinegar, as crazy as it sounds, is incredible for sunburns. Use ACV in small quantities to clean the burn, prevent infection, help it heal faster and tone the skin mildly. Glycerin is used in this recipe to help the spray stick to the skin and glycerin is a humectant, meaning that it will help to attract moisture to the burn and help it heal. You can swap glycerin out for a more moisturizing coconut oil if that's what you have on hand! Instead of distilled water in this recipe, you can use steeped green tea or chamomile tea. Green tea is high in anti-oxidants and helps sooth a burn and reduce itching. Chamomile tea also helps with itching and stinging caused by a burn.

The Aloe Vera Burn Spray will stay in the fridge or a cool shady spot on the counter for up to two weeks - as with all water-based D.I.Y. recipes it is not preserved. Vitamin E or Rosemary / Grapefruit extract is not an adequate preservative for anything water based, so to prevent any bacterial or yeast growth discard and make it again after three weeks!

Another thing I always have on hand is Lavender + Oatmeal Poultice Packs / Bath Tea. I put the raw ingredients in a muslin bag and steep it in a bath, or make a pot of steeped tea in advance and add it to a bath - or wet with water and apply directly to the burned area. These herbal packs come in handy every time!